


The Beginning is The End is The Beginning

by youngandbitchy



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awesome Pepper Potts, College, Cussing, Emotional, Financial Aid, Financial Issues, High School, MIT, Mentioned Peter Parker, Mentor Tony Stark, Minor Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Money, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker is a Good Bro, Protective Tony Stark, Reader-Insert, Self-Insert, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tumblr: young-and-bitchy, University
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 17:46:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16979097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngandbitchy/pseuds/youngandbitchy
Summary: Tony finds out you didn't get Financial Aid for college.





	The Beginning is The End is The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I particularly wrote this because I'm aware I'm not the only one who has the potential to turn the world around and is being held back by money, so this is to those of you who are... including me.

Application and Financial Aids offices sent out their responses without giving it a second though, indifferent to the fact that the impact of their decisions lasted a lifetime.

 

_“Dear (Y/N), we regret to inform you that you don't qualify for financial aid.”_

Huh. So much for regretting.

You were about to go on a jog, so you left the letter with your mother. “Fuck this shit,” you muttered, and you slammed the door of the house shut as she called out for you.

Outside, rain was pouring down. You put on the hood of your raincoat and channelled your anger, running from the start instead of going slow.

Since you were eight years old, MIT had been the dream. You'd get in and you'd pay back the money on its entirety from one month of salary. You had a project: help those who needed it through your goals. A small kid didn't have an arm? You'd build one specially designed for them. A person couldn't walk? If they desired it, you'd make them a new pair of robotic legs (after all, it wasn't the first time you took on that challenge, and Rhodey never complained).

And you told yourself money wouldn't be a problem for those people, because of all the times it'd been for you.

_Shit._

When you stopped to take a breath, the air itched in your throat and your heart was beating so fast it hurt your chest.

In your earbuds, Florence, an AI Tony and Peter designed for your birthday, spoke, “(Y/N), you have a voicenote from Mr. Stark.” You stood in the middle of the sidewalk, the rain blending with your tears, pedestrians avoiding to crash with you and glaring. “(Y/N), you will get a cold.”

You took a deep breath and found refugee in a bus stop. “Play the voicenote for me, please.”

Immediately, Tony's voice drowned your ears. “Hey, kid. Listen, I met a young girl today. She needs a leg, but her family, well... they're broke. Well, almost broke. She was in an accident and they're still paying hospital bills, so I was wondering if you wanted to make someone's day. No, Morgan, no!” And you heard a shriek on the background. “Let me know.”

“When did he send this?” You asked.

“Half an hour ago.”

You sighed. “Tell him I'm on my way,” you said and resumed your run, the Stark Tower in the distance.

* * *

 

After the family left crying and thanking Tony like he was a deity and thanking you for taking on the creation of a leg for their daughter, Tony found you in the kitchen sitting on a stool while drinking coffee and working on designs and ideas for the leg.

“What're you thinking?”

You sighed. “She wants for it to look like a normal leg and no superheroe-like features, so I'm working on functionality: water, electricity, energy... Maybe I'll work with Bruce, go for a way where there's no pain.”

“Smart move. You need assistance?”

“Not for now.” You threw your pen inside your notebook and closed it. “It's late. I should go.”

“Happy's at the lobby. I'll tell him to drive you.”

You nodded. “Thanks.”

Tony frowned. “Are you okay, kid?”

“Yeah,” you lied. “Just tired. I'll see you later, Mr. Stark.” You waved him goodbye and left him in the kitchen, frowning to your shadow.

* * *

 

Tony, who now had a wife and daughter and had spent too much time mentoring teenagers, knew something was wrong with you. He didn't know what, and he didn't want to ask you personally because the last ten times he'd even come near the topic, you escaped.

So he asked another teenager.

“Hey, Pete, how's it going?” He asked him on the phone, Tony hearing the students' despair and chaos on the background.

“Oh, just... you know, an exam destroyed my brain. Nothing new.”

Tony chuckled. “AP Chem?”

“AP Chem II.”

“Damn, kid.” Tony smiled to himself. “So I've got a question.”

“Shoot.”

“(Y/N)'s been weird these days, and I mean extremely weird. Like... not even synthetic skin for robotic limbs got through to her.”

“Oh, you don't know?” Peter replied. “Her application for Financial Aid got rejected,” he informed him.

“What?”

“Yeah. MIT accepted her, but she figured there was no point in attending if she couldn't afford to go. Her mom even thought about selling the house, but (Y/N) stopped her. She knew it meant a lot to her family.”

“...Oh.” And as Tony came up with a sentence, Morgan's cries interrupted his train of thought. “Sorry, Pete. Morgan is crying again. I should go help Pepper,” he explained. “Thanks for the intel.”

“Sure, Mr. Stark.”

Tony hung up and went up to his bedroom, hoping the sane part of him could give him guidance.

* * *

 

It was Monday. Every time you checked the date, it baffled you how fast Graduation Day was coming. You'd been dwelling on your MIT grief for a week now, and not having answers for what came next for you kept you up at night with a rushing heartbeat.

That afternoon, you were doing homework on your living room (per your mother's request) when someone ringed the doorbell.

It was Tony.

“Mr. Stark!” You exclaimed, frowning. “What... What are you doing here?”

“Tony!” Your mother showed up behind you. “Hi!”

“Hey, (Y/M/N), I came to drop something for (Y/N).”

“Well, don't just stand there! Come in! I made cupcakes.”

Tony entered your house, closing the door behind him. Your mother went to the kitchen. “What're you doing here?” You asked him.

“Hm... I came to discuss schedules for Claudia,” he lied.

“You're an awful liar, you know that, right?”

Tony nodded, his hands behind his back. “I am aware, yes.”

Your mother brought the cupcakes to the living room, where you all settled in. Tony had an hour until he had to return to the tower so Pepper could prepare for a conference she had with executives from the Phillippines.

He took that one-hour window to catch your mother up on what you were doing with Claudia, how you'd helped Rhodey get back on his feet, how you'd made come true the fantasy of a child of being Iron Man for a day by making an exact replica of an arm from one of Tony's suits.

It didn't take much for your mother to burst into tears.

“Oh, no... What did I say? Did I say something wrong?” Tony asked, leaning forward on his seat, eyes wide open.

You put your hands on your mother's shoulders. “No... Not at all, Tony, just...” She put a hand on your cheek. “I'm so proud of my baby... I wish I could make her as happy as she makes me.”

Your eyes welled up with tears. “You do, mom.”

“Is this about MIT?”

Your head snapped to Tony's direction. “Who told—" You sighed. “Damnit, Peter.”

“Why didn't you tell me?” You grunted, picking up the remaining cupcakes to take them to the kitchen. Tony got up and stood on your way. “You could be a phone call away from going for free.”

“That's exactly why,” you responded. “You've done too much for me already, I... I don't want to be a burden or— or a pity project, I—“

“Okay, no, that's so wrong.” Tony took the tray of cupcakes from your hands and put them on the centre table. “(Y/N), I've known you for four years, and since our first conversation, I knew you were exceptional. I didn't know what I was signing up for when I agreed to mentor you, but to this day, I believe it's one of the best decisions I've made. You... You encourage me to think outside the box. You've taught me perseverance. You taught me how to make three dozen brownies in a span of thirty minutes.” You chuckled, a tear rolling down your cheek. “It's not only your brains, it's your heart. I mean... we're talking about the girl who took intermitent naps on my laboratory's floor while working on Rhodey's pants for days on end. You've done more for me than I've done for you. You're like a daughter to me and I know this is the only thing you've had faith in since your father died, so... please, let me do this.”

You let out a hard sob, but you tried to keep your emotions inside as the light of your hope beamed through your whole body. “Okay,” you muttered.

“Okay?”

You nodded. “Yeah!”

You hugged Tony, and this took him by surprise. He grinned, hugging you back. Your mother stared at the scene, her palms united, her index fingers touching her lips. When you ended the hug, Tony sniffled maintaing a straight face, like he did when he was about to get emotional. He pulled out an envelope from his back pocket and handed it to you.

“A card and the bank account details.”

You let out a sharp breath, your eyes wide and a smile on your face. “Wh... What? You had this prepared?” You inquired. “You knew I'd say yes?”

“I was hoping you would.”

You laughed. You turned to your mother and said, “Mom, I'm going to MIT!” Tears filled your eyes, and you knew there was no point in stopping the incoming waterworks.

“Yes, baby, you are!”

You ran to your mother and wrapped her body in a tight embrace. Her, with tears she didn't bother in masking, mouthed to Tony. “Thank you.”

He nodded in return.


End file.
